Lawyers, NGOs helping homeless get new ICs, avoid fines

of lawyers and soup kitchens are helping the city’s homeless apply for new identity cards, ahead of a planned round up to remove the destitute from Kuala Lumpur’s streets.

Many of the homeless had their identity cards stolen while they slept in the streets by people with the intention of selling it for identification fraud. Some claimed they had lost the document during raids by Kuala Lumpur City Hall.

However, as replacing the stolen cards was a financial burden, many did not bother to get a new card.

Lawyers for Liberty spokesman Latheefa Koya (pic) said they are trying to help the homeless get an exemption on the penalty as the amount is too high - the penalty for the first IC replacement is RM100, plus an additional RM10 processing fees.

She said the fine will then increase to RM200 and subsequently up to RM300 for the second and third replacement ICs.

“When the replacement application exceeds five, there is a chance that the IC will be barred, awaiting clearance from the National Registration Department (NRD) headquarters in Putrajaya. It is as good as being a stateless person,” said Latheefa.

She said not having an identity card exposes members of the community to arrests as it is an offence for a Malaysian to not carry an IC at all times.

She said that iy anyone is caught without documentation, they are automatically handled as a foreigner and can end up in immigration depots until further verification can be given. The immigration department can then detain them for a period up to two weeks.

Latheefa said as many did not have identity cards they are unable to apply for jobs, or be registered to receive any welfare support by the Social Welfare Department.

“It is a vicious cycle: they can’t pay the fine for their lost IC because they don’t have a job, but they can’t get a job because they don’t have an IC,” said Latheefa.

Today the group took 20 homeless to the NRD's branch in Pudu Sentral and helped them submit applications to exempt them from penalties, which would allow them to apply for replacement cards.

“We spoke to the chief officer of NRD’s Pudu Sentral branch and she was cooperative. She explained that she has only a mandate to grant a 30% waiver, but she is willing to bring this matter to the state director to ask for a full waiver,” she added.

Apart from LFL, volunteers from soup kitchens, Dapur Jalanan and The Nasi Lemak Project as well as NGO Kuala Lumpur Urban Fellowship were also present to coordinate the application procedure.

A man from the community, who only wishes to be identified as Kun said that another reason was to enable the community to seek job opportunities.

“We do not have EPF funds or any other sort of savings under our names, and we do not have the means to pay the fine. We need to be able to get new ICs because some of us would like to get a job,” he said.

He also said that one of the biggest difficulties faced by those living in the streets is that their ICs end up getting stolen in their sleep by people with the intention of selling it for identification fraud.

LFL executive director Eric Paulsen said the applicants had their thumbprints scanned and their Malaysian citizenship had already been verified through NRD’s system, so it is merely a matter of NRD approving the appeal and providing them with the ICs.

“We hope NRD will keep its word. If this doesn’t go through, we will appeal to the headquarters in Putrajaya,” said Latheefa.

- TMI